Title
Music – Ron Grainer, Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

Special
Sound – Brian Hodgson and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

Make
Up – Sonia Markham

Production
Assistant – Norman Stewart

Studio
Sound – Ray Angel

Studio
Lighting – Ralph Walton

Story
Summary (SPOILERS!):

The TARDIS is seemingly dragged down by an invisible
force onto the surface of the planet Vortis, and is unable to leave. Upon
exploration, the Doctor and his friends get split up, and discover the
endangered insect society of the Menoptera, under threat by a malignant, all
conquering alien parasite creature, known only as the Animus. This ever-growing
and domineering creature has taken over the minds of Vortis’ lesser creatures,
the ant-like Zarbi and the larvae guns, in an effort to destroy the remaining
free Menoptera for good, and take over their planet.

While the Doctor and Vicki bewitch the Animus creature,
Ian and Barbara join forces with the Menoptera’s pre-prepared army (later
helped by the Doctor too), and their underground descendents, the Optera; and
work to get their new weapon, the Isop-Tope, through to the Animus’ exposed
heart. In an exhausting combined effort, they succeed just in time to destroy
the Animus. The Time-travellers leave as life begins to return to Vortis, and
its civilisation reunites, hopeful in their promising future.

Story
Placement

Between
The Eleventh Tiger (BBC Books) and The Dark Planet (BIG Finish Audio)

Hetra: A silent wall. We must make mouths in it
with our weapons. Then it will speak more light.

Review:

The Web
Planet is one of Doctor
Who’s most iconic stories ever, not just in the 1960s, but of all-time, and
rightly so. It is a serial of both great imagination and ambitious production;
in fact easily the most ambitious since the TV series began till perhaps The Daleks’ Masterplan just a matter of
months later. In a way it reinforces how revolutionary and exciting those early
years of Doctor Who were. Every
couple of months or every other story, the production team would come up with
new ideas, approaches and creative ambitions, either on the written page, or in
a concerted effort to make the show look visually better on the screen than
ever before. Nearly every other story in Doctor
Who’s first three years makes an important lasting impact on its long term
narrative and genre development, as well as its own maturity and complexity in
storytelling.

In particular, The
Web Planet brought us the most alien location ever depicted in the TV
series up till at least Full Circle
fifteen years later, or it could be convincingly argued to be the most alien
ever. Vortis, the planet featured, is a vast, cold and barren world, full of
crags, valleys and craters, like an exaggerated version of our own Moon, made
ever spookier by the cunning artistic blur on screen, efficiently realised with
a camera filter fitted to the lens. Then there’s it’s even more fascinating
residents.

The idea of giant insects may be an unoriginal staple of
the Hollywood B-movie horrors of old, but writer Bill Strutton’s invertebrate
civilisation defies all the clichés by giving us an intricate and multi-layered
society, with each species cleverly written, not just in concept, but also in
dialogue, thought patterns, and background history. Even the director, Richard
Martin, tries hard to convey this visually by hiring choreographers to craft
special movements and physical mannerisms as they manoeuvre themselves on
camera. The striking costume designs for the creatures are also very
imaginative and impressive for their day, helping to add to the layer of
surrealism that permeates this serial.

There are five distinct species, most with their own
unique character outlook, and yet also quite cleverly on the part of Bill
Strutton, share a poetic language and philosophy, that dresses up its actions
and history like the myths of a fantasy storybook, full of metaphors and
lyrical description that sets the imagination ablaze. The Menoptera, while
obviously men in giant Butterfly costumes, are articulated and realised quite
effectively with their irregular speech intonations, nervous natures, and
choreography, although their excessive hand waving can be a bit silly and
distracting at times. The Zarbi on the other hand, are visually impressive on
screen, but rather refreshingly don’t speak, or at least not in terms of
speech, nicely emphasising the starkly alien World in comparison. The noise the
Zarbi make is equally imaginative and starkly alien, but after four episodes of
it, let alone six, I can guarantee you’ll be screaming for it to stop, as the
constant stream of noise started to give me a headache come the end of the
story. The Larvae Guns meanwhile are far from impressive, but as they’re
clearly supposed to be living weapons anyway, their total absence of character
is perhaps to be expected.

The Optera are somewhere in-between the species in the
quality of execution, having an average visual realisation, but also with a
fascinating and unique characterisation of their own. Their species seems to
have devolved from a group of Menoptera who hid underground from their powerful
foe, the Animus, becoming stuck in a religious cult, now worshipping the forms
of their earlier missing selves. Interestingly, this also hints at how long the
planet Vortis has since been occupied by the Animus, indicating several years,
if not centuries. During that time, the Optera have lost all the shared history,
knowledge and skills of their past, partly through a lack of education, but
maybe also due to the sheer number of years of isolation they have endured. As
a result of these circumstances, they have developed an unsentimental and
relatively utilitarian character, which has helped them survive in their harsh
conditions; but furthermore their language and intelligence has also evolved
into an entirely new form as well. The Optera characterise their world and
surrounding as if they were living things, or at least describe them in the
same terms as they would describe themselves. Therefore holes in the walls and
ground are called “mouths” and stalagmites and stalactites are called “teeth”.
The most striking example of the Optera’s utilitarian outlook is when one of
their number fearlessly, and without any second thought sacrifices themselves
in a burst opening from the acid pools in order to save the others. The moment
is so dark, surreal, and without any prior explanation, that it’s actually
mildly shocking on first viewing.

The ever-present and lethal influence of the Animus
meanwhile, is just as interesting, but more from a stylistic point of view. As
a concept it represents an impressive, foreboding and unstoppable cancerous
parasite; draining and destroying all life on Vortis and leaving just dust and
poison in its place. The visual realisation on screen of the Animus is equally
imaginative and creepy; an ever growing and expanding mass of weird foliage and
grotesque weeds and tendrils, with an eerie giant spider-like creature at its
centre. As a character though, the Animus is merely just another
one-dimensional villain, with a single-minded desire to conquer all. I suppose
it fits in with the conceptual metaphor of the Animus being a
near-indestructible cancer, but by the end of the story, I was left yearning
for a more satisfying protagonist to justify six episodes of struggle and plot
(well, maybe four episodes judging by the padding).

And yet, despite all the imagination of Bill Strutton’s
concept, and the inspired creative touches of costume design, make-up, visual
effects, as well as a few directorial flourishes; The Web Planet is also one of the most divisive Doctor Who stories of the 1960s, or at
least for many non-contemporary, post-1960s viewers, including myself sadly. To
me, the reasons for this I would suggest are mainly down to just how
excessively padded the serial is, accentuated by some rather slow and flat
studio direction. Despite how good Strutton’s ideas are; The Web Planet only appears to have enough plot and narrative to
last over four episodes, not six. Whether Bill Strutton had to produce six
episodes as a condition of his commission from the BBC, or just thought he
could, perhaps we’ll never know. However, the serial seems to spend a lot of
episodes 3 and 4 going nowhere very fast, with companions getting reunited,
split up, or recaptured, and the status quo of events on Vortis staying very
much the same as when the story began. The mystery of the surroundings as well
as the life on Vortis, mixed with the alien and surreal atmosphere, help
sustain the viewers interest across the first two episodes; but when the detail
and substance fail to turn up, any further stylish and creative flourishes will
only go so far in making up for it. What makes things worse is that even basic
scenes seem stretched and full of wordy procrastination, especially for the
Menoptera. The overall effect this creates is one of very little actually
happening, even on a character level. The problem with this is that, for me, I
stopped caring about the characters, and the scene-to-scene events of the
story, which is a shame, because episode 5 is where Bill Strutton injects some sudden
wonderful character development, and background depth to Vortis’ alien
characters, which I partly described in the above paragraphs. However, by this
point in the serial, it feels almost too little, too late, as the two previous
episodes were both tedious and a struggle to get through. Episode 5 does save
the story in my view, but not enough for me to love it, like I did in the
opening episode.

However, what in my mind, ends up adding an extra
negative and risible vibe to watching The
Web Planet is Richard Martin’s mixed studio direction. Now I don’t mean
daft things like a Zarbi running into the camera, or William Hartnell clearly
forgetting a complete line of dialogue. Innocent mistakes are easy to ignore
and overlook, and matter not one jot if they don’t disrupt the flow of the
production. No, I’m talking about creative mistakes onscreen. Despite the
fascinating hand movements and mannerisms that the actors had to memorise and
perform while in their difficult costumes, the direction of their presence in
Lime Grove studio, often seems rather laid back, and at times even confused and
chaotic. I understand that these early Doctor
Who serials were shot on a tight time limit as well as a tight budget, but
when you see the quality of direction in the stories immediately around it,
like The Crusade, The Romans or even The Space Museum; it’s clear that Richard Martin was struggling as The Web Planet’s production progressed,
which is a great shame, considering how great some establishing and creative
shots are throughout the early episodes, and the magnificent film work shot at
Ealing Film Studios which makes the Menoptera spearhead landing in Episode 4
quite an amazing sight compared to the tight studio set at Lime Grove. Maybe
Richard Martin is clearly at his best with film, when the camera is
choreographed more than the actors; and where studio work in the BBC
environment of that time is more akin to directing in Theatre. Perhaps the
worst of Martin’s directorial mistakes though, is the Menoptera’s dummy attack
on the Zarbi in Episode Six, where the Menoptera actors embarrassingly jump
around the Zarbi, making squealing noises, like kids on a school playground. This
scene is without a doubt one of the most awful and uncomfortable moments I’ve
ever had to encounter in Doctor Who,
even if it’s more out of embarrassment than for any worse reason.

Another unfortunate weak point of The Web Planet is Vortis’ alien characters, which is quite perverse
considering how great their conceptions are. Without exception, they all
communicate in two-dimensional terms, always following simple lines of thought,
feeling and motivation, with little depth in characterisation. Even when Bill
Strutton’s puts in his great character development during Episode Five, this is
mainly developed background and history, explaining the different philosophies
of the species themselves, which while clever and fascinating to find out,
giving the audience a more complex understanding of their World, doesn’t
actually create any depth in the aliens’ individual personalities. You might as
well label the Menoptera characters as “the wise one”, “the arrogant one”, or
“the flighty and sensitive one” for all the level of difference and
individuality between them. Even the Animus, despite its imaginative appearance
and all pervasive presence, is just another all-conquering monster, seeking
dominion over all.

However, even the seasoned TARDIS crew, have less
characterisation than we’ve come to enjoy over their twelve Television
adventures so far. All four of them, get wonderful moments throughout episode
one, only to quickly revert to their basic role stereotypes throughout the rest
of the script. It’s also hard to tell, how much of the good regular
characterisation is down to talented script editor, Dennis Spooner. Given The Web Planet’s long running time, the simplistic characterisation
is a clear missed opportunity for Strutton, and one that may have made the
serial a whole lot more interesting had it been taken.

Equally simple and basic is the serial’s plot, made all
the more straight-forward, by the singular dimensions of its characters. In
fact, the overall plot seems to me, to be a simplified variation on the one
used in The Daleks, which feels
partly ironic and unnecessary considering how similar the two stories’ runtime
are. A far simpler narrative, especially on a 2-and-a-half-hour adventure,
certainly helps contribute to the amount of padding in The Web Planet, as the plot has to be put on long pauses, so it can
save up its meagre developments for later episodes. Once again, if Strutton had
filled these gaps with interesting character studies/moments, then the slow
pace wouldn’t have been a problem, but their absence plus the drawn-out
narrative development just ebbs away much of the enjoyment the production
otherwise generates. Once you get past all the weirdness and visual flair of
Vortis and its inhabitants, then the story very clearly boils down to The
Doctor and his friends, joining forces with the planet’s native peoples to
bring down an unfeeling, powerful and destructive monster. The plot even sounds like a generalised and basic
version of The Daleks.

One thing that does try to bring the story out of its
doldrums is the actors’ wonderful performances and hard work. All the Menoptera
cast try their best to inject as much individual personality through their
performances as possible, trying to build on the little they have to go on.
Perhaps they even invented the individual characters, behind the Menoptera
names themselves, no doubt helped, and led, by Roslyn De Winter’s striking
choreography and character performance.

Despite whatever dialogue that gets ‘fluffed’, missed or
garbled, it’s clear the regular cast is enjoying some of their time on the
story, creative and production stresses aside, as all are on fine form
throughout. William Hartnell relishes his small comedic moments, and shines in
dramatic confrontations with the Zarbi, and the voice of the Animus. Hartnell
also peppers his performance with a brilliant subtlety, whether it’s the warm
gentleness that suits the Doctor’s more mellow and paternal nature, or a quiet
flash of coldness that sparks across his eyes, reminding us of the character’s
former demeanour.

Jacqueline Hill meanwhile absolutely sells Barbara’s
plight, first at her complete loss of self-control, under the power of the
animus; and second, her horror at the conditioned Zarbi’s sadistic treatment of
the Menoptera. Hill even gets to have fun with a witty repartee with Maureen
O’Brien as Vicki, who continues her fun, endearing and quirky performance from
her first two stories. Sadly, O’Brien doesn’t get the chance to continue it for
long, before Strutton turns Vicki into the two-dimensional scared damsel, for
much of the story; although O’Brien successfully counteracts this in part, with
a show of bravado. William Russell sadly ends up with the typical
back-to-basics action man stereotype, that has plagued him throughout much of
the series, but the determined sincerity in his performance, saves many a
scene, and is always convincing. Russell’s only consolation is when he’s able
to comedically play off William Hartnell, during some of the TARDIS scenes,
where he can at least demonstrate the depth of the characters’ long friendship,
when the development in the script is mostly lacking.

The
Web Planet was possibly the most ambitious Doctor Who story ever made for Television. A complete alien world,
imaginatively conceived, with impressively shot, and surreal visuals; and an
intricate alien civilisation, filled with a striking mix of original alien
creatures, all cleverly thought up by experienced TV writer, Bill Strutton.
However, for all his experience, Strutton’s plot is so slight it can be barely
stretched enough to fill the running time, and his characterisation is fairly
two-dimensional at best. Add to that some rather chaotic and misjudged studio
direction by Richard Martin, and suddenly the whole production turns into
something of a chore to watch. The strength of the concept, plus the sterling
efforts of the cast and designers should make this a gem of 1960s Television,
but the faults at various stages of production, water it down to such an
extent, that sadly to some people and fans like myself, it’s more of a curiosity,
than a regularly-viewed favourite.